Adding bricks: British building-materials concern Hanson PLC said it agreed to buy the brick operations of Jannock Ltd., a Canadian building-products concern, for about $257 million. Jannock's North American brick unit is the second-largest brickmaker in North America, with 16 plants in the United States and five plants in Ontario and Quebec. In 1998, Toronto-based Jannock's brick unit had unaudited sales of $196.6 million and operating profit of $33.3 million.

Coal deal: Costain Group PLC, a British construction company, said it will sell its Australian coal-mining division to Peabody Coal, the largest U.S. coal producer and a unit of conglomerate Hanson PLC, for $200 million.

Peabody Holding Co., the largest U.S. coal company, will buy mines and reserves in Wyoming from Exxon Corp. for $365 million. St. Louis-based Peabody will buy Exxon's Carter Mining Co. assets, including two coal mines in Wyoming's Powder River Basin with a total of 1.2 billion tons of reserves, said Hanson PLC, the London-based conglomerate that owns Peabody.

- Hanson PLC, a British conglomerate, raised its stake in Cummins Engine Co. to 9.79 percent from 8.32 percent and said it had received government permission to increase its stake in the nation's largest diesel engine manufacturer, based in Columbus, Ind., to as much as 15 percent.

Q-I bought new golf clubs made by a company called Hanson PLC. The pro told me that Hanson is a huge public company and probably "a dandy investment for at least a couple of years." What can you tell me about this stock for a conservative investor? A-Hanson PLC (HAN-around $20) is a 75,000-employee British conglomerate with revenues of $15.5 billion. Approximately 47 percent of those revenues take place in the United States, some 48 percent are generated in the United Kingdom and the...

- Consolidated Gold Fields Plc has accepted a sweetened $5.5-billion takeover bid from Hanson Plc, the British industrial conglomerate. London-based Hanson, whose interests range from building materials to food retailing, offered $24-mostly cash-per share, up from a $22.45 all-cash offer June 22 that Consolidated had rejected. The agreement between Hanson and Consolidated comes less than two months after Consolidated fended off a takeover attempt by the South African-backed...

Santa Fe Pacific Corp., citing improved operating results and lower interest expense, Wednesday reported a nearly 50 percent increase in second-quarter net income, excluding special items. Separately, the company said it is considering spinning off its mineral mining subsidiary, Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corp. Company officials told Wall Street analysts that they had filed a request with the Internal Revenue Service to prepare for a possible initial public offering of the subsidiary, which operates one of...

Peabody Holding Co., the largest U.S. coal company, will buy mines and reserves in Wyoming from Exxon Corp. for $365 million. St. Louis-based Peabody will buy Exxon's Carter Mining Co. assets, including two coal mines in Wyoming's Powder River Basin with a total of 1.2 billion tons of reserves, said Hanson PLC, the London-based conglomerate that owns Peabody.

Coal deal: Costain Group PLC, a British construction company, said it will sell its Australian coal-mining division to Peabody Coal, the largest U.S. coal producer and a unit of conglomerate Hanson PLC, for $200 million.

Adding bricks: British building-materials concern Hanson PLC said it agreed to buy the brick operations of Jannock Ltd., a Canadian building-products concern, for about $257 million. Jannock's North American brick unit is the second-largest brickmaker in North America, with 16 plants in the United States and five plants in Ontario and Quebec. In 1998, Toronto-based Jannock's brick unit had unaudited sales of $196.6 million and operating profit of $33.3 million.

Eljer Industries Inc., a former unit of Household International Inc., has received its second takeover proposal in nearly two years, this being for far less than the first. Plano, Texas-based Eljer said Tuesday that it received an unsolicited bid of $20 a share, or $145 million, from Jacuzzi Inc., a Walnut Creek, Calif.-based unit of Hanson PLC of Britain. Eljer, with 1990 sales of $449 million, makes toilets, sinks and other plumbing and home-remodeling products. Jacuzzi makes whirlpool...

Santa Fe Pacific Corp., citing improved operating results and lower interest expense, Wednesday reported a nearly 50 percent increase in second-quarter net income, excluding special items. Separately, the company said it is considering spinning off its mineral mining subsidiary, Santa Fe Pacific Gold Corp. Company officials told Wall Street analysts that they had filed a request with the Internal Revenue Service to prepare for a possible initial public offering of the subsidiary, which operates one of...

Q-I hold 1,000 shares of Hanson PLC and am very happy with this investment. Should I keep it and buy more? A-Stiff upper lip, there. As you well know, this British company with the bland name makes a royal fortune with products such as EverReady, Jacuzzi and Farberware. Hanson PLC (around $19 a share, trading on the New York Stock Exchange as an American depositary receipt, or ADR) is an industrial management company with diverse interests in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Eljer Industries Inc., a former unit of Household International Inc., has received its second takeover proposal in nearly two years, this being for far less than the first. Plano, Texas-based Eljer said Tuesday that it received an unsolicited bid of $20 a share, or $145 million, from Jacuzzi Inc., a Walnut Creek, Calif.-based unit of Hanson PLC of Britain. Eljer, with 1990 sales of $449 million, makes toilets, sinks and other plumbing and home-remodeling products. Jacuzzi makes whirlpool...

Cummins Engine Co., facing another possible takeover fight, is suing one of its major stockholders for allegedly violating federal disclosure laws. Industrial Equity Pacific Ltd., which has a 14.9 percent stake in the Columbus, Ind.-based engine manufacturer, wrongly portrayed itself as a "passive investor" when it is trying to pressure the company for short-term stock gains, Cummins charged Thursday. Cummins` board also rejected Industrial Equity's request for...

For 80-year-old J. Irwin Miller and his "big sister," Clementine M. Tangeman, saving Cummins Engine Co. was closely tied to the past and their fond memories of its role in this town of 32,000. For 33-year-old William I. Miller, the youngest of J. Irwin Miller's five children, it had more to do with the future. He recently returned to his hometown to head the family's investment management company. Last Monday, the Miller clan, young and old, teamed up to fend off a potential...